


They were always more

by Mardybambam



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 08:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15926669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mardybambam/pseuds/Mardybambam
Summary: A series of Fremione drabbles from third year onwards.





	They were always more

Halloween afternoon was dark and miserable. The sun had barely shown its face, spending most of the day hidden behind deep slate clouds. The icy chill had the residents of Hogsmeade running through the town with their cloaks pulled high over their ears. The sleepy town was soon to be woken from its miserable rest, this was because it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year for the students of Hogwarts school, an impressive academy for young witches and wizards that was a short carriage ride from the wizarding town. These students would never let a cool breeze stop them from enjoying their day.

By one a clock, the town was bursting with life as hundreds of children rushed to spend whatever money their parents had owled to them. Everyone's spirits were high and their grins blinding as they joked with their friends over large chunks of Honeydukes chocolate, the best in the wizarding world,  or even warm foaming cups of butterbeer from the local tavern, the Three Broomsticks.

 However, two students did not seem nearly as pleased with their day as their peers. Ronald Weasley, a gangly boy with fire red hair and deep blue eyes, was spending the afternoon with one of his best friends, Hermione Granger, a slight girl with a cloud of curly hair and rather large front teeth. Ron and Hermione had been looking forward to the day out just as everyone else but their other friend, a bespectacled boy called Harry Potter, had not managed to get permission for the trip and had to stay in the castle, and without him, the pair had soon run out of things to talk about. They had already visited most of the shops around, their last stop had been the post office, Hermione, a muggle-born witch, had been expecting to see the usual post office-y things like stamp books, boring brown package paper, and a surly elderly women to tut at the 'unruly' children but this was not an ordinary post office, this was a magical post office. The rear wall of the building had a large map posted, dotted across the printed country were smalled painted owls that seemed to be moving, some had a red line following them, a few had old lines and one lone owl had a blue line trailing after it. According to the sign on the next wall, the lines following were meant to show the progress of the owls. A red line means that owl was still on its way to deliver its letters or packages, a gold line meant that the owls had completed the delivery and were on their way back to the post office, and that lone blue line, which was according to the sign a rarity, meant that the owl had been unable to deliver the letter. Hanging from the high ceiling were at least fifty cages, half of which were empty but the occupied ones held the most magnificent owls that Ron or Hermione had ever seen, large eagle owls with tall feathered horns, slim snowy owls with faint grey specks and even tiny owls that could fit in the palm of their hands.

Hermione hastily sent a rotund screech owl to her parents with a small package of sugar-free sweets from Honeydukes. Honeydukes had been their first destination but the small sweet shop has filled with shivering students and soon became much too crowded to get a good look at anything. Despite their short visit Ron and Hermione still managed to buy a bag full each along with an extra bag for Harry. Honeydukes itself was a dream for any child. Along with the usual sweets; nougat sat piled high, neat rows of chocolate and thick gooey caramels wrapped in pink, green and yellow wrappers, they also sold a variety magical treats; levitating sherbet balls sold by the bag full, a barrel big enough for Ron and Hermione to both fit in, was piled high with every flavour beans and, in their special effects section, black pepper imps that allow you to breathe fire.

All that was left for the pair to visit was the Three Broomsticks and Zonko's Joke Shop. Zonko's was hard to miss with its bright red exterior and the steady stream of heavy cloaked teenagers filing in and out of the tall arched doorway. Ron had run straight through the crowd, pushing to the front steps before he realised Hermione was no longer at his side. Looking back he could barely make out her bushy head, he was just about to run back to her when he felt two pairs of hands pulling him back.

'we'll get her' George said mischievously

Ron didn't notice the glint in Fred's eyes or the way George jabbed his elbow into his twins ribs with his attention being immediately caught by a seemingly normal teacup that one of his dormmates, Seamus Finnigan, had picked up. Once the teacup was within two inches of the boys face the ornate flowered brim turned into a set of pointed china teeth and attempted to chew down on Seamus' nose. 

'uh- yeah okay' Ron had already begun walking straight for the teacup stand

Hermione was still stood at the back of the line, after some Slytherin fourth years pushed in front of her when she saw a mop of red hear barrelling towards her. She thought perhaps Ron had realised his mistake and was coming to wait with her, she soon realised this was not the case when the large red mop became two smaller ones and the twins matching grins came into view.

'This is a rescue mission Princess' George said in an exaggerated deep voice. 

Hermione had barely muttered her dismissal of the nickname when she was lifted off the ground, her body deposited onto Fred's shoulders, her thighs on either side of his neck.

'Fred!' Hermione Growled, 'Put me down!'

'Soon Princess' Fred spoke in a lighthearted tone but his face was deathly white, his large freckled hands gripping Hermione's thighs tightly.

The journey into the store was quick with George leading the way they managed to weave through the crowd swiftly and after ducking to get into the door they were soon stood with Ron, who was battling a particularly vicious teacup. Fred lowered himself onto his knees so Hermione could climb off of his shoulders on her own. Unable to bring a frown to her face, Hermione just tutted and rolled her eyes, not bothering with pretending she hadn't enjoyed herself. Looking around the wondrous store, she couldn't even find it in herself to scold Ron for leaving her behind. The walls were painted a deep red shade and everywhere you looked there was an intriguing new device. In one corner a swamp green mist was almost impenetrable and a large sign read, 'Dungbombs seventeen Sickles an lb!'. Along the centre of the room was a tall table with hundreds of soap bars pilled neatly, the tadpoles on their wrappings swimming through the rippled pond water printed. Behind a stand for hiccough sweets was a long glass cupboard with quills arranged in fancy arcs, their feathered ends facing out.

'Sugar Quills' George had noticed Hermione's gaze.

'They look amazing!' Hermione could not believe these magnificent looking quills could be fake.

'They have to be realistic or no one would get away with eating them in class' Fred offered her a rare, genuine smile.

Although the twins had an obvious disregard for school rules and didn't seem to have any interest in their studies, both of which were things that Hermione thought mattered before almost all things, she could not deny that they were fun to be around. No matter the situation they somehow managed to make a joke and pull smiles from everyone in the room. Fred and George were born entertainers to put it simply. It must be difficult though, to be so similar to someone that not even your mother can tell you apart. Hermione could, with a degree of focus, tell them apart. Physically, there was no way to tell them apart, both had a handful of freckles scattered across their noses and high arched eyebrows that screamed mischief, but there were little quirks that could be seen when focused on, Fred would always smirk when George would wink and George fiddled with his wand when Fred would scratch his neck.

Ron had spent the better part of an hour deciding what to spend his few treasured sickles on, but finally, he had filled a bag and still had enough money left for a butterbeer at Three Broomsticks. Fred and George decided to tag along, claiming that they had already had enough pranks planned for the next six months. 

The group settled around a table in the corner of the warm tavern, as far from Malfoy and his cronies as possible.

'Tell me all about your first Hogsmeade weekend then' George slid into the chair next to Ron.

Ron began to talk so quickly about everything they have seen that Hermione couldn't understand what he was saying. Luckily, Fred did not seem to care about what his little brother thought but was much more interested in Hermione's opinion. 

'it's all so magnificent, there's nothing like it where I'm from'

'What's it like?' at Hermione's confused look, Fred clarified, 'the muggle world, I mean'

Hermione had never been asked about the Muggle world before, wizards rarely cared about the world outside their own, 'it's... well, I don't know how to explain it. It's the same as the wizarding world but yet completely different' Fred's gaze never strayed from her face, deep blue eyes seemingly studying every detail. Hermione could feel her cheeks heating under his intensity.

'We have schools and government, all the things that wizards have but without magic'

Fred opened his mouth to respond but was cut short by his twin.

'let's head back, I bet Harry is losing is mind in the castle on his own all day'

They decided to walk back to the castle, Fred questioning Hermione the whole way, with every answer he had ten more questions. Hermione had told him about her parents being dentists and recalled the time a young boy had bitten her father so hard had needed stitches. Fred's smile contorted into a grimace when she explained what stitches were.

'So you dad just whipped out a needle and stabbed himself with it' Fred sounded somewhat impressed.

'no of course not' Hermione grinned, 'He had to go to the hospital and a doctor did it'

'like a healer' he muttered to himself, 'have you ever been to a hospital?'

'Only once, when I was seven' Hermione smiled a watery grin, 'they made me stay overnight but my mum was allowed to stay with me and she stayed up all night reading me Beauty and the Beast over and over again'

They had reached the main gate, and it seemed that Ron and George had already said bye a few feet ahead of them. Fred gave Hermione a small smile and with a final slight nudge of her hip, he joined George and began to climb the hill towards the lake.

Ron and Hermione sped towards the castle, intent on telling Harry all about their trip, neither saw George clap his brother on the back or the way that the tips of Fred's ears burnt red when he looked back at the third years.

Harry was in the common room when the duo got here, with his own story to share with them about his visit with Professor Lupin and Professor Snape's mysterious potion. Ron was listening intently but Hermione could only think of inquisitive blue eyes and mischievous grins, as she anxiously checked her watch.

'The feast starts in five minutes, we had better get going' sensing that the pair wouldn't drop the subject so easily she dropped her voice, 'Snape would have never tried to poison Lupin with Harry in the room'

Harry muttered something under his breath as they rushed out of the portrait hole but didn't bother arguing once they joined the crowd.

The Great Hall had been decorated with pumpkins, three times the size of normal pumpkins, glowing against the charmed ceiling along with living bats weaving in and out of the floating lanterns. Despite having their fill of Honeydukes sweets while in Hogsmeade Hermione and Ron still managed to eat second at the Halloween feast. The wide serving plates were full of soft buttery mashed potatoes and large glazed joints of meat. A few seats down from the trio the Weasley twins were huddled with their friend Lee Jordan and would every now and then they would look up as if afraid that someone had overheard them. When Hermione caught Fred's eyes his eyes widened almost comically and lowered his head quickly. Ron was grumbling about how they were probably planning their next scheme and as long as he was nowhere near it when it happened he didn't care about it. 

The students started to make their way back to their common rooms once the feast was over, but the hall leading to The Fat Lady's portrait was crowded and Hermione and her friends could barely see the top of the portraits frame over the heads of the other Gryffindor students. Percy Weasley, the eldest of the Weasleys still at Hogwarts, shouted as he slid through the crowds, his bossy voice trailing away before in a much more childlike way, 'Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quickly!'

The trio pushed their way forward, reaching the portrait at the same time as the headmaster. The portrait was empty but had been mutilated so harshly that long strips of canvas lay scattered on the floor.

Peeves cackled from above them, his voice smug when he realised that he knew something that Dumbledore didn't, 'Always had a nasty temper, that Sirius Black'

The corridor was bustling with activity in seconds, students searching the surrounding areas as if the murderer would be lurking amongst them. Dumbledore raised his hand and silence fell, ' you are all to return to the Great Hall, the prefects will lead the way'

The younger of the Weasley siblings seemed to group together at the threat of danger, Percy led the Gryffindor students while Fred and George dragged their baby sister Ginny over to Ron. The twins frog walked Ginny the whole way back to the Great Hall which was now barren of all the earlier festivities and they were joined by the other houses in less than ten minutes.

Dumbledore addressed the students while the other professors warded the doors into the hall. 'You will all have to stay here tonight while we conduct a search of the castle' and with a slight flick of his wand, the tables stood themselves against the walls and with another flick hundreds of purple sleeping bags covered the floor.

The twins rushed forward and picked up six of the sleeping bags that they dragged to a corner and divided between the group.  

'Lights out in ten minutes!' Percy shouted from the other end of the hall, 'everyone into the sleeping bags'

Ron and Harry set up next to each other with Ginny beside Ron and Hermione next to her.

'Do you mind-' Fred nodded at the sleeping bag next to Hermione

'of course not' Hermione gave him a small smile, her eyes floating down his figure. Fred had already dressed for bed, his worn shirt had been removed and he stood in a pair of long baggy shorts that sat low on his hips and his almost too small undershirt emphasised his muscular build, no doubt developed from his time as a beater for the Gryffindor quidditch team.

'you wouldn't mind telling me more of your world would you?' he spoke low and soft as if he believed he would startle her if he spoke any louder. Hermione nodded as she pulled herself up to lean against the wall as Fred settled himself into his own sleeping bag. 'You were talking about the pretty and the hideous' his eyebrows furrowed, 'or something like that'

Hermione gave a small chuckle, 'Beauty and the beast, it's a children's story about a horrible conceited prince who was cursed by a powerful witch. The witch turned the prince into a beast, and unless he can find love before an enchanted rose's last petal fell, he would stay that way forever.'

Fred nodded thoughtfully, 'kind of like The Warlocks Hairy Heart' at Hermione's lost gaze he elaborated, 'its a children's story too, a warlock used dark magic to prevent him from ever falling in love but after being ridiculed by some of his servants he decided it was time to find a wife' Hermione rolled her eyes, 'but the witch of his desires did not believe the warlock possessed a heart. In an attempt to win her he showed her his most heavily guarded secret. In his dungeons was a chest, inside a human heart like no other was hidden. It was the warlocks own but its years of neglect had caused it to grow thick hair all over. The witch was, rightfully, horrified and in a final act of desperation, the warlock tried to return his heart back into its rightful place, in his chest. The warlock and the witch were found later that night, the witch had a gash through her chest and her heart had been removed. The warlock had attempted to remove his own heart but it had not given up easily.'

'that's absolutely barbaric!' Hermione's brown doe eyes were wide, ' how is that a children's story?'

'Mum would only tell us that story after Ron and Ginny had gone to bed' Blue eyes sparkled, 'Ron had once snuck back down so he could hear the story but it scared him so bad he had to sleep with mum and dads bed for a week'

Hermione gave a short laugh but stifled it quickly when she saw the scene before her, people were talking in hushed tones, and as far as Hermione could tell, no one was smiling at all.

'This is serious isn't it' Not even Fred, half of the infamous Prankster Kings, could bring himself to make a pun, 'Sirius Black in Hogwarts. He is the most wanted man in Britain, even my parents are concerned and they are muggles'

'He can't hurt us here, Dumbledore won't let me' Fred's confidence perked  her up a little but she still felt nervous, 'it would be idiotic to try anything now they know he was here'

Percy's voice could barely be heard but he must have muttered a spell as all the candles were put out, plunging the Great Hall into darkness, the only light coming from the enchanted starry night sky above.

Hermione could not find the words to say what she felt but, under the cover of night, fumbled until she found Fred's hand beside her own. Instantly, he intertwined their fingers and shuffled closer to her.

They led like that, hip to hip, long after they fell asleep, and even long after Fred woke up. Hermione had shifted slightly, her hand was still clutching his but her body had turned to face him completely. Fred lifted their conjoined hands and placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.

 


End file.
